How i met A by Kayla Collins

Young love is a terrible thing. It makes you doubt your looks, curse your mother for that dress she forced you to wear and miss out on slices of chocolate cake because your tummy is full of butterflies!

The first person who I remember ever having strong feelings for was a guy called A (sorry, I can't use his full name because he'll probably see this someday lol). This was way back when I used to live in Nigeria. It was my first day at my new school in Lagos. For everyone who has gone to school in Lagos, I had just started SS1...for everyone else I had just started 10th grade. Of course I was super late so everyone else had chosen a really good seat, and being a "studious girl" I was so frustrated that the first row of seats were filled! The only open spots were these two seats right at the back, in fact, they were so far back that they blended quite well into the shadows. Shy and quiet as I was, I contentedly scurried away to the one of the seats and glowered as I unpacked my bag, all while enduring the endless whispers of "is that the new girl", "she looks silly", "she doesn't look nigerian".....

And just when I thought the worst was over, he walked in, bag slung on one shoulder, looking like he owned the damn earth as everyone (the girls) in class became giddy with excitement. He stopped, swept over the class and shrugged as he realized there were no seats left, well except the one right next to me. I pretended to look for something in my bag as he came closer, I was so nervous that I nearly jumped when he sat right next to me me and tapped me on the shoulder.

A: "Are you new here? I've never seen you before"
Me: "Yes"
A: "What's your name"
Me: "Kayla"
A: "Okay, well can I borrow you pen?"

I picked up my pen (my only pen) from my desk and handed it to him.
A: "Thanks Kayla"
Right before the first period, A hands me back my pen. He tells me that he knew I only had one but he was just trying to test me. I nearly choked, partly because I couldn't believe i had given away my only pen to some guy and also because he had the nerve to taunt me like that. It was about two months into that school year that A and I had pretty much gone from seat mates to soul mates. We did everything together, laughed together, sat in the cafeteria together, got punished together (yes, we both knelt down under the hot sun - Nigerian style) and talked to each other at bedtime, until my mother found out and banned me from using the phone.

My parents were moving to Georgia right after the term ended, and I was crushed to have to leave especially since A and I would never see each other again. We met in our classroom, right after everyone had left to go home and I cried like a baby. I had never hugged a boy before that day, so hugging A was the most nerve-racking but beautiful feeling ever! But the real shocker came when A touched my face, inched close and then kissed me right on the lips. Actually I was scandalized! Those movies on M-Net failed to prepare me for what I experienced! But looking back, it was a lovely kiss. I was only fourteen but I know that A was definitely my first love.

*****UPDATE: We're really good friends now though, we actually met up two months ago with my current boyfriend who I love more than life :-) Still, young love is awesome.